Stir-Fried Bok Choy

Nearly every family stir-fries bok choy year-round, but it’s also prized as a vegetable for such special occasions as New Year’s. The mastery here is in choosing young tender bok choy, no more than eight inches in length. Or, occasionally, you might get lucky enough to find hearts of bok choy, bok choy sum, in the produce market. Unlike the older bok choy, these vegetables are so tender that the stalks do not need to be peeled. Stir fry the vegetables on high heat just until the greens are bright and the stalks are tender. A minute too much, and the vegetables lose their essence. Bok choy found in Western supermarkets is often old and past its prime, while the bok choy available in Asian markets is far superior in quality and much less expensive.

Preparation

Separate the bok choy into stalks. Wash in several changes of cold water and drain thoroughly in a colander. Trim 1/4 inch from the bottom of each stalk. Halve each stalk lengthwise and cut stalks and leaves into 2-inch-long pieces. In a bowl, combine the broth, oyster sauce, soy sauce, corn starch, and sugar.

Heat a 14-inch flat-bottomed wok or skillet over high heat until hot but not smoking. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons vegetable oil and ginger, and stir-fry 10 seconds or until ginger is fragrant. Add the remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons vegetable oil, bok choy, and garlic, and stir-fry 1 to 2 minutes, or until leaves are just limp and bok choy is bright green. Restir the broth mixture and swirl into wok. Stir-fry 1 to 2 minutes or until the sauce has thickened slightly and coats the vegetables. Serve immediately.